Rescue network saves sick manatees, sea turtles from toxic red tide

A large female loggerhead sea turtle recovers at Sea World in Orlando on Wednesday 8/30/2018. It was a transfer from the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel. It is being treated from the effects of red tide poisoning. It will be eventually released in an area not affected by red tide. (Photo: ANDREW WEST/The News-Press, )

Aged 35 or so, she's not quite an adult, not ready to breed and lay eggs on a Southwest Florida beach.

But like all sea turtles in Southwest Florida, she's vulnerable to the impacts of a toxic red tide that's been lingering here for nearly a year.

Dr. Lydia Staggs a Sea World veterinarian overlooks a holding area for recovering manatees. The manatees are from Southwest Florida and are recovering from the effects of red tide poisoning. (Photo: Andrew West/The News-Press, )

She's sick and hasn't eaten in days.

"Yes," Barron said as the turtle lunged toward the crab.

She offered a second one, and the turtle chomped down so hard that it briefly ripped the hemostats from Barron's hand.

"She ate for the first day we had her (Aug. 15), but she hasn't eaten in a week," Barron said. "So this is real exciting."

Barron has rehabilitated dozens of sea turtles this year at the CROW facility on Sanibel, along with numerous cormorants, brown pelicans and even migratory birds.

She's part of a wildlife rescue network that stretches across the state, from the sugar-sand Panhandle to the crystal blue waters surrounding the Florida Keys.

The network includes wildlife rescue clinics, volunteers, government agencies like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and larger operations like ZooTampa at Lowry Park in Tampa and SeaWorld in Orlando.

CROW and other medium-sized facilities can handle animals as large as sea turtles but not dolphins, manatees or whales.

Some sea turtles are being transferred from CROW simply because so many sea turtles have been found in the area in the past three months.

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A large female loggerhead sea turtle recovers at SeaWorld Orlando on Wednesday 8/30/2018. It was a transfer from the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel. It is being treated from the effects of red tide poisoning. It will be eventually released in an area not affected by red tide. ANDREW WEST/The News-Press,

Dr. Lydia Staggs a SeaWorld veterinarian overlooks a holding area for recovering manatees. The manatees are from Southwest Florida and are recovering from the effects of red tide poisoning. Andrew West/The News-Press,

Manatees from Southwest Florida recover at SeaWorld Orlando on Wednesday 8/29/2018. They came to the facility with the effects of red tide poisoning. They will eventually be released back to the wild. Andrew West/The News-Press,

Manatees and a large female loggerhead sea turtle affected by the red tide outbreak in Southwest Florida are rehabilitating at SeaWorld Orlando. They will be released when they are fully recovered and the red tide has cleared. Andrew West/The News-Press

Manatees and a large female loggerhead sea turtle affected by the red tide outbreak in Southwest Florida are rehabilitating at SeaWorld Orlando. They will be released when they are fully recovered and the red tide has cleared. Andrew West/The News-Press

Manatees and a large female loggerhead sea turtle affected by the red tide outbreak in Southwest Florida are rehabilitating at SeaWorld Orlando. They will be released when they are fully recovered and the red tide has cleared. Andrew West/The News-Press

Manatees and a large female loggerhead sea turtle affected by the red tide outbreak in Southwest Florida are rehabilitating at SeaWorld Orlando. They will be released when they are fully recovered and the red tide has cleared. Andrew West/The News-Press

Manatees and a large female loggerhead sea turtle affected by the red tide outbreak in Southwest Florida are rehabilitating at SeaWorld Orlando. They will be released when they are fully recovered and the red tide has cleared. Andrew West/The News-Press

Manatees and a large female loggerhead sea turtle affected by the red tide outbreak in Southwest Florida are rehabilitating at SeaWorld Orlando. They will be released when they are fully recovered and the red tide has cleared. Andrew West/The News-Press

Manatees and a large female loggerhead sea turtle affected by the red tide outbreak in Southwest Florida are rehabilitating at SeaWorld Orlando. They will be released when they are fully recovered and the red tide has cleared. Andrew West/The News-Press

Manatees and a large female loggerhead sea turtle affected by the red tide outbreak in Southwest Florida are rehabilitating at SeaWorld Orlando. They will be released when they are fully recovered and the red tide has cleared. Andrew West/The News-Press

Local rescuers go to the animal and stay with it until it can be safely transported to a nearby veterinarian facility or one of the larger parks.

"We have field labs around the state that also respond to injured and distressed or dead manatees," said FWC spokeswoman Michelle Kerr. "Right now in response to the red tide event in Southwest Florida, the majority of the manatees are being transported to Sea World if they’re found alive."

The animals can spend anywhere from a few weeks to the rest of their lives at places like Lowry and SeaWorld, which last week took in the massive female loggerhead that was found in the Sanibel area.

"We’re all one big community," said SeaWorld veterinarian Lydia Staggs. "We have primary intake facilities along the coast that are able to respond to sea turtles, and when the initial treatment is over and they need space for them to hang out until the red tide clears, they ship them to Sea World until they’re able to be released."

Manatees from Southwest Florida recover at Sea World in Orlando on Wednesday 8/29/2018. They came to the facility with the effects of red tide poisoning. They will eventually be released back to the wild. (Photo: Andrew West/The News-Press, )

The female was active and energetic when The News-Press visited Sea World on Wednesday.

She'll be released when the heads of the network determine that red tide conditions are safe.

Counts along the Southwest Florida coastline have been at 1 million cells per liter and higher in recent weeks.

Fish kills and breathing irritation in humans and marine mammals can begin when levels reach 10,000 cells per liter, according to the FWC.

The bloom stretches from the Sarasota area to Naples.

Sea World has capacity for 50 manatees, and there are eight there now from Southwest Florida recovering from exposure to the toxic bloom.

"When they come in a lot of times they’re depressed, they’re not moving around a lot and they’re not showing reflexes or response to any stimuli and sometimes they’re having seizures," Staggs said. "So we give them anti-convulsives (medication) and we also sometimes need to get them fluids, or they need help being able to get their head out of the water."

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Red tide is a harmful algal bloom that can sicken or even kill local wildlife. It also causes respiratory issues in humans and other animals.
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Each manatee is assessed for overall health conditions, and any infections or other conditions are treated.

Animals that are removed from red tide often recover from the toxic effects, but they must be taken out of the environment that made them sick in the first place.

"The nervous systems controls everything in your body so if it’s impaired you’re not going to be able to breath well or swim," Staggs said. "But they can actually rid themselves of the toxins when they’re removed from red tide."

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The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife has been slammed with wildlife since a red tide outbreak has been documented off the coast of Southwest Florida. It has been a revolving door of sea turtles. Right now they are caring for several sea turtles including two green's. A large female loggerhead was transferred to Sea World on Thursday so they can make room for more critical patients. Andrew West/The News-Press

People in the network, though, are the only ones who should be handling large marine mammals like manatees.

"(You) should never push back a stranded marine mammal such as a manatee," Kerr said. "Manatees usually strand because they’re sick or injured and need medical attention. so it’s important for a vet or trained biologist to assess the animal first."